Breaking
by Noellie723
Summary: Enjolras has returned to his home in Tahiti when finds out that a local marine conservation group is on the brink of bankruptcy. He decides to help by entering a surf competition. The only problem is he's a terrible surfer. Maybe with the help of Éponine Thénardier, one of the best surfers in French Polynesia, he might be able to win the competition. TEMPORARY HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

Éponine sat down at the bar in the Cafe Musain while Musichetta made her usual. The small juice bar was normally empty, save a few locals, which is what made it an ideal hang out for Les Amis. There were hardly any tourist and there was a hidden beach nearby, which they called Avae Bay*, that had great waves. Les Amis had a mix of surfing styles and Avae Bay was perfect for all of them.

Combeferre, Jehan, Bossuet, Cosette, Marius, and Joly were longboarders. They liked the smooth, calmness of riding bigger boards. There was a pleasant ease to it that was very relaxing. Bahorel, Courfeyrac, Feuilly, Grantaire, and Musichetta were the shortboarders of the group. They enjoyed the fast paced maneuvers that came with shortboarding.

Éponine, however, stopped surfing a year and a half ago. She was one of the best surfers in all of French Polynesia, long and short, but a mortal accident stripped her of that title. With the help of her friends she got back to swimming in the bay but she wouldn't dare surf anytime soon. Musichetta handed the Éponine her mango pineapple smoothie when Courfeyrac walked in.

"Hello ladies," the young charmer smiled.

"My, Musichetta, you're looking lovely today,"

"I've already got two boyfriends. I don't need another," she said swatting him away. "And flattery will get you no where,"

"Aw, please Chetta? The swells are supposed to be amazing today,"

"I'm not doing it. But bring him straight to the bay afterwards,"

"Why what's happening?" Éponine asked.

"Enjolras is coming home and Courf doesn't want to go to the airport to pick him up," Musichetta explained before disappearing into the back to find supplies.

"The waves are breaking at 7 feet! You expect me to miss out on 7 feet waves?!"

"Oh calm down. There'll be seven footers another day," Éponine nonchalantly sipped her smoothie.

"Then you can go pick him up, Ép,"

"Can't. I've never met the guy,"

"You haven't?"

"Remember? I met you guys right after Enjolras left for that trip thing. What was it called?"

"His awareness trip,"

"Raising awareness for marine life conservation for 2 and a half years?"

"He stopped in Moorea 6 months in. His mom got really sick, but she's a lot better now and she's been urging him to come back here and get on with his life,"

"He sounds like he tends to care a lot about people. Are you sure this is the same marble man you've told me about?"

Courf laughed. "Just wait until you meet him,"

Éponine nodded. "If that's a challenge, then I'll go with you to the airport,"

"Well at least this way I won't be the only one missing out on seven footers," Courfeyrac sighed as he headed towards the parking lot.

"Oh come on, now. There'll be other waves!" Éponine yelled as she ran to catch up with him.

* * *

The airport was flooded with blond hair and blue eyed tourists, which made it hard for Éponine to decipher which one was the fierce leader she heard so much about. She eventually gave up and let Courfeyrac scan the crowd. It took awhile but the two friends eventually spotted each other. Enjolras looked a lot different then Éponine imagined. All Courfeyrac said was that he was blond with blue eyes and a strong jaw. What they didn't mention was that he had thick blond curls with eyes blue like the ocean and a jaw so sharp it should be illegal. He also to had a good eight inches over Éponine's 5'4" frame.

"Enjolras!" Courfeyrac greeted. "How've you been?"

"I'm doing well. My moms gotten better and my sister is moving in with her just to make sure she's okay. And how've you been?"

"Great, except the fact that there are seven footers at Avae Bay right now,"

"Oh drop it already, Courf," Éponine cut in.

Enjolras blinked. "Hello. You must be Éponine. Courf has mentioned you a few times,"

"Yeah, he's said a few things about you also. It's nice to meet you,"

All three of them awkwardly stood there for a few seconds. Éponine and Enjolras had every right to be silent but Courfeyrac was so shocked at Éponine's uncharacteristic manners that he didn't know if it was worth it to get punched for cracking a joke at her. He decided against it and presumed it was just because she didn't know Enjolras well enough to act normally.

Courfeyrac cleared his throat. "We should probably get going. Everyone can't wait to see you,"

"Yeah that'd be a good idea," Enjolras said.

The trio walked to the car while Éponine and Enjolras argued over who would sit in back. Their argument ended when Courfeyrac tossed the keys to Éponine and told Enjolras to sit in front.

"So, you're from Moorea?" Éponine asked as she drove out of the parking lot.

"Yeah. I'm one-eighth Tahitian on my mothers side. The rest of me is french," Enjolras replied.

"Then how'd you find yourself on Tahiti Nui? You're almost 200 miles away from your hometown,"

"I went Université de la Polynésie Française a few years ago and I just sort of stayed here,"

"I can't blame you,"

"The swells here are pretty great,"

"Yeah. Do you surf?"

"I've been long boarding since I was boy. I'm not the best, but it's definitely fun. Are you from Tahiti-Nui?"

"I actually grew up in Tahiti-Iti in Teahupo'o. But when I was about 18 I moved here in Paea. I had to leave without my younger siblings. I'm waiting until I get a proper job to support them,"

"You're the oldest?"

"Of five. What about you, do you have any siblings?"

"Just the one. She's about 18; we've got a nine year age gap,"

"I have a similar age gap with second oldest. He's 15. What about your sister, what's she like?"

"She's a great surfer but she wants to be a zoologist. Her names Vaitea,"

"That's a pretty name. I knew a Vaitea when I was growing up. She was also a great surfer. Maybe it's in the name,"

"Do you surf? I mean growing up in one of the best surfing spots in the world you must have at least once,"

Éponine subconsciously slid her left hand towards the side of the steering wheel so Enjolras couldn't see her scar. "Not anymore,"

"Why not?"

"Didn't anyone teach you not to pry?" she snapped.

"Sorry," Enjolras dropped the subject and stared out the window.

Éponine continued to drive in silence while the boys talked about Enjolras' trip. Something about fish and acid and ocean. Éponine was too busy trying to get around afternoon traffic and crazy tourists to listen to their conversation.

* * *

By the time they got to the bay, it was almost sunset. Everyone rushed out of the water and ran to greet their friend with salt wet hugs. Soon, Enjolras was retelling the stories he told Courfeyrac in the car. Something about fish and acid and ocean. Éponine was once again occupied with her thoughts. She watched quietly as the sun dipped into the ocean.

It was kind to her once, the ocean. It let her feel like she was queen of the world when she caught a good wave. She owned almost every single wave she rode. The water seemed to obey her. Éponine had the brightest surfing career and was so close to becoming a pro-surfer, until the day of her accident. Everything seemed normal that day, bright sun and great swells. But the swells grew more and more until Éponine was pushed under. Waves came down on her like bricks and suddenly-

"Éponine," Jehan said, waking her from her terrifying daydream. "We were going to go find a place to eat dinner to celebrate Enjolras' return home,"

"We all eat out every single night," Bahorel said to his boyfriend. "If we keep doing this, I'll end up broke,"

"Same," Bossuet and Grantaire sighed simultaneously.

"Well if you guys don't want to eat out, I can make dinner," Éponine said. Everyone looked up with bright eyes.

It wasn't a secret that she was a great cook. In fact there was a month where Les Amis would randomly bring groceries to her house so she could make them dinner. This eventually stopped because Éponine had grown tired of cooking every single meal for 14 people.

"Really?" Feuilly asked.

"Yeah, I mean I haven't really cooked in awhile,"

"Wait, have you been eating properly?" Joly asked with shock.

"Does take away count?"

"Jesus, Éponine," he sighed.

"Well, it's settled then. We're making Ép cook," Musichetta smiled.

* * *

Now they aren't too sure how it started, but Éponine eventually threw manners out the window and she and Enjolras had a full on screaming match in the beginning of dinner while Les Amis sat quietly and waited for things to calm back down. Ok, maybe they did know how it started but, hell, neither of them gave up without a proper fight.

Everyone waited in Éponine's small house while she prepared a special dinner. No one knew what she was making but they were all excited for it. After about twenty minutes, she had asked Jehan to get enough plates and utensils for everyone while she finished up. Jehan was like another younger brother and she cared for him dearly.

"Ok everyone," Éponine announced from the kitchen. "Dinners ready,"

Les Amis walked in the kitchen, mouths watering at the smell of spices and coconut milk. Éponine's famous e'ia ota* was waiting on the kitchen table mixed in with cubes of cucumber, tomato, lime juice, and coconut milk as well as other secret ingredients. Les Amis stood in a line at her small kitchen table and piled food onto their plates with maru'uru'u* to their friend and headed back to the living room. Everyone had food on their plate except Enjolras who was leaning up against the cabinets.

"If you don't eat raw fish, I can throw it on the frying pan real quick, if you'd like," Éponine said when she noticed his empty plate.

"I don't eat fish at all," Enjolras replied flatly.

"Oh sorry, I forgot to ask if you were allergic to anything,"

"It's not that I'm allergic, it's that I try not to eat the thing I'm trying to protect. It's people like you who are putting fish in danger,"

"Excuse me? It sounded like you were disrespecting me and my cooking, Blondie. Did I not open my home to all twelve of you for your sake? Did I not spend money on expensive ingredients? Did I not put my time and effort into this? And, hell, this was very expensive,"

"Look. All I'm saying is that you aren't helping the cause,"

"You know who isn't helping the cause? All those people out there leaving trash on the beach and all those companies out there who are dumping their waste in the ocean. So if you think the enemy is in here, then you need to reevaluate your goals,"

"My goal is to save marine life and that means not eating the fish. Do you know how much the fish population has dropped and how much the acidity of the ocean has risen?"

"You've been telling everyone all day about the fish and acid and ocean! How could I not hear you? And besides, the islanders have been eating for centuries and the fish have been fine. It's those tourists that have been polluting the ocean with their trash. Now if you don't agree that that's a contributing factor to marine life danger, than you better get some teaching before you do the preaching,"

An ooh-ing noise could be heard from a few of the guys as Enjolras shut up.

Éponine exhaled and leaned back on the fridge across from the blushing young man. "So, since you aren't going to eat fish, I can make you something else for dinner. How does pineapple chicken sound?"

"That sounds nice," Enjolras said in an almost mumble. "Maru'uru'u,"

"No problem, Blondie. You can wait in the living room with the rest of Les Amis. I'll be done in a few minutes," Enjolras walked away with confusion.

If Éponine had just left the argument when she made her point, he would've just left her alone from that point onward. But she had offered to still do something nice for him which left him baffled. Was he supposed to stay mad at her for arguing with him or apologize and continue trying to be friends with her. All he knew was that this girl would be a challenge in the future.

A/N: didn't really get into surfing competition yet, but I'll get there next chapter :]

*Avae(ah-vah-eh): Tahitian word for moon

*e'ia ota(eh-ee-yah oh-tah): Tahitian dish similar to ceviche

*maru'uru'u(mah-roo-roo): Tahitian word for thanks


	2. Chapter 2

After the little dinner fiasco(which Éponine was, surprisingly, quick to forgive), Enjolras spent the next few days settling back into the apartment he shared with Combeferre. He then went straight to his marine conservation work by making informative flyers and handing them out in the city. That's when he ran into Michael Purotu, another marine conservationist whom he met at the university.

"Purotu?" Enjolras asked, getting the young man's attention.

"Enjolras! How've you been," Purotu greeted with a hug. "I heard you just got back from Bora Bora,"

"Yeah my mom is a lot better. Les Amis and I still have our small awareness group,"

"Well this is awesome, what you guys are doing," Purotu said gesturing to the flyers. "We could sure use more awareness at the Marine Conservation Organization of Tahiti,"

"I agree. If people don't understand that we are hurting the life in the ocean, our entire ecosystem will be off balance,"

"And, sadly, if the organization doesn't find a way to pay off some debts, we'll have to shut down,"

"What sort of debts?"

"Our founder took out some loans to fund research but after the economy started dropping, we're struggling to pay them off,"

"How much do you need?"

"1.3 million in 6 months,"

"Well, if I can, I'll try to find ways to help,"

"Maru'uru'u Enjolras. It would be much appreciated," And with that the two parted ways.

Enjolras decided that if he didn't help the organization, that would be a large amount of conservation lost as well as the jobs of many. So he called Les Amis together to brain storm.

All the guys crammed into the Musain while Musichetta made them all their usuals. Enjolras immediately started the meeting by explaining the situation.

"We could fundraise," Combeferre suggested.

"What would we sell? Awareness flyers?" Grantaire joked.

"We could sell coupons for the Musain,"

"But the Musain might get popular and we wouldn't have a proper meeting place,"

"Well, there's 9 of us here, 13 if you add Marius, Cosette, Musichetta and Éponine, if we all earn 100,000 in six months, we'll be fine," Jehan said.

"Yeah but Enjolras doesn't have a job and there's a slim chance that the Musain will make that much in that amount of time," Bossuet said.

"We'll just have to work a little more," Joly replied.

"I can't have you guys work hard while I just sit back," Enjolras protested.

"There has to be another way for me to earn money,"

"Just ask Éponine," Courfeyrac sighed, finally contributing.

"What for?" Enjolras asked.

"She finds ways to make money easily,"

Their leader raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, how do you think she took care of Azelma and Gavroche? With the salary she gets working as a waitress at those fake luau's, she could only support herself,"

"Where is Éponine? I might as well ask her,"

"If you hurry, you might be able to catch her down at the bay," Jehan replied.

"Okay, then. $100,000 from all of us in 6 months. Meeting adjourned,"

Enjolras hurried out of the Musain and drove down to Avae Bay. It was almost sunset when he spotted Éponine trying to give Marius tips on surfing tricks.

"Hello Éponine, Marius," Enjolras greeted.

"How's it going, Blondie?" Éponine replied.

"I just came to ask you about how you earn money quickly,"

"What?"

"We're trying to help a marine conservation organization financially but I currently don't have a job. Courfeyrac told me that you had ways of getting money,"

"Oh. Well, I don't do this anymore but I used to enter in surf competitions. Not so much for the money but for the joy of it. The money just helped me take care of my siblings,"

"Are there any upcoming competitions?"

"In 4 months, there'll be a competition in Teahupo'o with a prize purse of $100,000,"

"That's perfect,"

"How well can you surf?"

"I'm pretty decent with a longboard,"

Éponine broke out in laughter. "It's a shortboard competition, you know. And besides, longboards weren't meant for pitching waves over 4 feet,"

"Then are there any longboard competitions?"

"Not with a prize purse big enough to help you,"

"Then can you help me learn how to shortboard?"

"Ask Courfeyrac. He's probably the only other person in the group who has competed and is your best chance of getting help. I'm only good for giving tips," Éponine spoke before she turned to Marius. "Now, you should practice hanging 5 before you try hanging 10,"

"Ok, maru'uru'u," Enjolras muttered.

He drove back home while Éponine and Marius headed back into the water. She swam by the side of his board as he paddled out. She yelled out tips but Marius couldn't grasp what she wanted him to do and kept falling off his board. He was a visual learner but Éponine wasn't mentally prepared to get back on her board again.

She wanted to, she really did. And she tried after her body was physically healthy, but when she wiped out, all that was replaying in her mind was her accident. She freaked out and nearly drowned. It took awhile before she actually got used to swimming in the bay.

Éponine eventually got frustrated at trying to explain to Marius and called it a day. She hoped Courfeyrac would have more luck with Enjolras.

* * *

"Okay," Courfeyrac smiled as Enjolras came over. "Let's get started on shortboarding,"

"I'm ready," Enjolras replied.

"So, first of all, as soon as you pop off, your stance needs to be steady. Shortboarding is a lot more faster. Other than that, I think you can start now, seeing how you've already got the surfing basics,"

Enjolras nodded and picked up the shortboard before paddling out. It was a beautiful new morning and the waves were pretty frequent, so he would get a lot of practice time. It wasn't long before a prime swell was rising. The golden young man popped off his board and within the first five seconds, he was tumbling into the water. This was the case for the next ten tries.

Éponine pulled up and got out of her jeep. She walked over to Courfeyrac to see what he was staring at.

"Just give it a second," he replied, waiting for Enjolras' eventual resurface. "And the Apollo lives!"

"What's he even doing?"

"Surfing. Well, at least trying to,"

"How long has he been at this?"

"A good 30 minutes,"

"Has he ridden any good ones?"

"The poor kid can barely get passed the lip before wiping out," Courfeyrac chuckled.

"Aren't you worried he might drown?" Éponine inquired with a hint of fear.

"Enjolras is a fucking mermaid. He's fine,"

Éponine observed as the waves pushed Enjolras and his board all the way to shore. He sputtered a bit before heading back to his instructor.

"Any tips on staying balanced?" Enjolras requested. Éponine couldn't help but stare. God bless wet swimming trunks.

"Well, you just sort of stay balanced," Courf replied.

"Stay balanced?"

"Yeah just stay balanced," The soaked man clenched his jaw, handed Courfeyrac his board and walked back to his car. He was obviously frustrated with the advice, or lack of, that his instructor was giving.

Éponine giggled.

"What's up with you?"

"'Just stay balanced,'" she mimicked, almost falling into the sand from laughing so hard.

"Shut the fuck up," he grinned. "You try teaching him how to surf,"

"Yeah, when hell freezes over,"

"But seriously, try helping him. He needs to make $100,000. And maybe teaching him will get you back to surfing. You could enter in the female division to get your $100,000. I'm pretty sure you've still got it,"

"Once again, when hell freezes over,"

"Please, Ép," Courfeyrac pleaded and took her hand and got on his knees.

"No. If I were to train anyone, which I'm not, then I'm going to put them through shit first which is something Blondie won't want to do,"

"I'll talk to him," and that's exactly what he did.

* * *

So Éponine wasn't too surprised when Enjolras showed up on her doorstep that afternoon.

"Hey Blondie. Can I help you with anything?" Éponine asked, peeping her head out from behind her front door.

"Can you teach me how to surf?" he requested.

She fought back a laugh. "From what I saw out there, I'm pretty sure marble doesn't float too well,"

"Seriously, Éponine. Teach me how to ride a shortboard,"

"You can barely longboard,"

"Please. I only have four months and I need your help,"

"Why me?"

"You are the best surfer in French Polynesia,"

"I _was_ one the best. Not anymore," she mumbled.

"Courf showed me videos of your surf competitions and you surf like nobody else. Your style and precision is exactly what I need to learn so please, will you help me?"

Éponine sighed. "Ok fine. I'll teach you,"

"Really?"

"Under my conditions. You won't question my methods. And my methods are straight from hell, might I warn you,"

"I can handle it,"

"Okay then. We start tomorrow at 5:00 am at the bay. Bring your koa wood longboard,"

"Thank you so much,"

"No problem, Blondie,"

* * *

The air was frigid and the sun was yet to rise. Éponine was sitting in a folding chair in a large sweatshirt when Enjolras came over with his board over his head.

"Good morning," he greeted. It was obvious he was a morning person.

Éponine, on the other hand, was trying to hide her grogginess. "Ia Orana*. Let's get started. One key component of surfing is endurance. You're gonna be up against guys who have been shortboarding for their entire lives. You've only got four months. They're going to be used to paddling out there and staying out there so you need to be able to keep up. I want you to squat down and hold your board over your head. If you ease up too much on your stance or put your board on your head, you're giving me 50 push ups,"

"How long do I need to hold for?"

"Until I say so," Enjolras did as he was told and held the board over his head. That was 50 pounds he was holding. It wasn't long until he was in the sand doing push ups.

"Your goal should be four minutes," Éponine said. "If you can't, then you don't have enough endurance,"

He went back to his squatting position. His thighs and arms were on fire and he couldn't help but shake. But he kept reminding himself about his cause and how badly he needed to win. He made it to 1 minute and a half before having to put the board down. Enjolras did his push ups and repeated.

Éponine had to admit, he was pretty persistent. After he did his push ups, he would go straight back into his squats. He didn't complain at all and look pretty determined to reach his goal. But since it was only his first day, he could barely get past a minute.

At 5:30 she let him take a break and at 7:00 they moved on to something else. She brought him to the pavement and went to get something out of her jeep. It was an inflatable exercise ball.

"Balance on it," Éponine ordered.

"On that?" Enjolras asked.

"Yeah. I thought about putting a plank on a foam roller and have you balance on that, but that would be too easy because you already longboard. So balance on this,"

"I don't think I can,"

"Yes you can. Steph Gilmore does it all the time,"

"If I was Steph Gilmore, I wouldn't have to bother you into training me,"

"Because this is your very first time, I'll help you. Give me your hand,"

Enjolras wrapped his hand around hers. He held on tightly as he stood up. Her brown eyes met his blue and she suppressed a smile.

"You kind of have to let go," she said in almost a whisper. "because I won't be able to hold your hand like this when you're surfing,"

"Right," he mumbled, fighting the urge to blush. Wait, why was he blushing. He shouldn't be blushing. This was just Éponine. She probably didn't like him. She probably thought he was an uppity snob who insulted her cooking.

Enjolras almost fell off the ball from being too distracted. He pushed these thoughts from his mind and went back to focusing. He was pretty very unsteady but Éponine knew that he would be able to do it eventually. For some reason, she had faith in him.

***Ia Orana(yoh-rah-nah): Tahitian word for hello.**


	3. Chapter 3

The first month of training was over and Enjolras could successfully balance on the exercise ball on his own and was only a minute shy of reaching his endurance goal. Éponine had let him take a break that Saturday morning and he slept in til noon. When he woke up, he headed straight to the Cafe Musain to meet everyone for lunch. They all immediately noticed how strange he was walking.

"Are you okay?" Combeferre asked.

"I'm just a little sore," Enjolras replied, trying to keep in the groans as he sat down.

"A little? You could barely walk!" Courfeyrac laughed. "Whatever 'Ponine is doing, she's doing it right,"

Almost everyone turned their heads at the girl with raised eyebrows.

"What? I'm just training him for a surf competition," Éponine informed before sipping her drink.

"Yeah, right," Grantaire snorted.

Éponine kicked him under the table and took another sip, trying to feign innocence.

"Jesus, don't you have work or something?" he asked, rubbing his shin.

"Oops, you're right. Thanks for reminding me. I've gotta head out now,"

She pecked everyone on the head before she hopped into her jeep and drove off.

"So, Enjolras," Courfeyrac elbowed him. "has Éponine tried surfing yet?"

"No. She usually sits in her folding chair and tells me what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. Why do you ask?"

"I just want to know if she's shown any interest in competing in the female division. It's been awhile since her accident. I have no idea how she hasn't gone insane without surfing,"

"Yeah. Courf can barely go a week without freaking out. Less if he knows the swells are good," Musichetta laughed.

"What actually happened to her?" Enjolras asked.

No one in the room immediately responded.

"What? Is her accident tapu* or something?"

"It's just that no one of knows exactly _how_ it happened," Combeferre finally explained.

"How do you not know?"

"It was around May and the Thénardier kids went back to Teahupo'o to visit their cousins and surf some awesome swells. About a few days in to their trip, Gav called us and told us that he and Azelma were with Ép at the hospital. She had lost 35% of her blood and had a hole in her left hand. She was moved to the local hospital and that next week, she was in and out of conscious, so she couldn't tell us anything. When she did wake up, all she did was cry and apologize to a 'Monty.' Azelma told us that 'Monty' was short for 'Montparnasse,' who was a family friend that was with her the day of her accident. Turns out that he was paralyzed from the neck down that same day. Every time we asked about what happened, she would break down. So we eventually stopped asking,"

"And that's it?"

"I'm afraid so,"

"And you guys haven't tried helping her overcome these fears?"

Les Amis looked down and continued their lunch in silence.

* * *

Monday rolled around and Éponine continued to work Enjolras. The day before, he completed his endurance goal and maintained his balance on the exercise ball while Éponine threw tiny pebbles at him, so she decided that they could move on.

"I know you must be wondering why I let you sleep in another two hours," she said. "It's because we'll need sunlight to see underwater,"

"Are you going to teach me to surf?" Enjolras asked.

"Not yet. Waves at Teahupo'o can get up to 20 feet. You're lucky the competition is in January and not in the middle of the winter months*. The waves will be around seven feet during that time. But still, the waves can get nasty and you could be underwater for awhile. So we'll be working on your lung strength. See those cliffs over there? I want you to climb up there and find a rock that's heavy for you but not too heavy and bring it back here,"

Enjolras did as he was told and Éponine followed, going to find a rock for her own. When they returned to the sand, she explained that they were going to run underwater with the rocks and he could come up for air when he wanted but he should strive for 5 minutes. They started running and Enjolras made it a few yards before dropping the rock and swimming up. Éponine came up after him.

"That was only thirty seconds," Éponine informed.

"Sorry,"

"It's okay. The maximum you could go without training is two minutes. Then you'd definitely pass out. What I'm saying is, your mind is telling you to come up for air but you can go for at least another thirty seconds. Push yourself,"

Enjolras took Éponine's advice into account and the two got back to training. After awhile of ascending and descending in thirty second intervals, Éponine stopped resurfacing with her trainee. Suddenly, she realized that he hadn't swam back down for a long time. Enjolras was passed out and, luckily, floating face up.

Éponine dropped her rock, wrapped her arm around his limp body, and swam back to shore. She pressed an ear to his chest. Thank god he was breathing. She didn't want to give him mouth to mouth. Not that it wouldn't be unpleasant. It's just, he was Enjolras and he probably thought of her as the girl who justified the murder of fish.

The golden young man began sputtering as he woke up.

"Are you okay?" Éponine immediately asked, cupping the sides of his head and checking for signs of injury.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Enjolras replied, sitting up.

"What happened to you?"

"You said to push myself,"

She jabbed him in the arm. "I didn't say push yourself until you fucking _passed out_! I almost had a damn heart attack,"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you,"

"It's fine. Just be careful next time,"

"Will do," he promised before walking back into the water.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Going back to training,"

"Your stubbornness will be the death of you. You could've died just now!"

"My stubbornness will be the thing that keeps me going," he reassured her with a rare smile.

She shook her head with a small grin before following him into the water.

* * *

Those next couple of days, when everyone met up at Cafe Musain, Enjolras would sit there holding his breath. They would all freak out the first few times when they heard his body fall out of his chair but they eventually got used to it and Éponine would quickly check his watch to see how for he had gotten. But he couldn't get past a minute and a half. So she tried thinking of ways to help him.

The next morning, Éponine told Enjolras to bring back his koa wood longboard.

"I thought I completed my endurance training," he frowned, getting into the squatting position.

"I'm helping you strengthen your lungs. Breathe long, deep breaths for the next four minutes. This will widen your lungs," Éponine informed.

She sat and watched as he he followed her instructions. After the four minutes were up, they went back to underwater rock running. They alternated this for awhile until Enjolras got a call from Bossuet.

"Hey Enj," the older man greeted with pain. "I kind of dropped a knife and my toe won't stop bleeding. I need a ride to the hospital and everyone is at work. Do you think you could drive me?"

"Yeah, I'll be over there in a few minutes," Enjolras replied before hanging up.

"What's wrong?" Éponine asked.

"I need to take Bossuet to the hospital,"

"Do you need me to go with you?"

"There won't be enough room for all of us and the longboard. Actually, could you take it back to my place? Ask one of my neighbors to buzz you in and there are spare keys under the welcome mat,"

"Okay, will do,"

"Maru'uru'u plenty, 'Ponine," Enjolras sped away while Éponine went to collect everything.

She held the longboard in her hands. She admired how he kept it in such great condition. It was hard finding such a nice koa wood longboard. And the waves were at a perfect height for longboarding.

No, she couldn't. Not yet. Well, maybe. No one was around to make her feel pressured. And it had been far too long since she last felt the adrenaline of coasting such powerful waves. One wave wouldn't be that bad. Or would it? Would she have another panic attack? It would probably be best if she just did what Enjolras asked her to do and dropped the board back off at his place. And besides, she didn't have any surfboard wax. But the waves kept calling out to her. No. She wasn't going to. Not yet.

Éponine sighed before she loaded the board onto her jeep and drove away.

**A/N: thanks so much for reading and please review :] I might be going on a temporary hiatus because of school starting up again, but I will try to post as often as I can**

***tapu(tah-poo): tahitian word for taboo; forbidden to discuss **

***Tahiti is below the equator so the seasons are reversed from the northern hemisphere but it's still warm all year**


	4. Chapter 4

Enjolras had gotten Bossuet to urgent care and back before 8:00 pm which was a new record for any of the Amis, for Bossuet would usually need to stay overnight at the hospital. Enjolras flicked on the light switch next to the front door to find that it wasn't working. So he stumbled through the dark until he found his way to the main light switch. When the room was illuminated, he realized that the lamp by the front door was replaced with a note that read:

_Sort of, accidentally, broke your lamp with the longboard. I'll buy a new one for you, I swear!_

_Love always, Ponine_

_P.S. Really sorry!_

_P.P.S. I mean a new lamp, not longboard. Those are expensive._

_P.P.P.S. Training tomorrow at noon._

Enjolras smiled at the piece of paper. Her words seemed rushed and frantic but her handwriting was delicate and looked somewhat like cursive. There was a fluid essence of her penmanship that reminded him of the ocean. Of course it would. He had only known her for almost two months but he already associated her with the warm waters of Avae Bay.

* * *

Éponine and Cosette sat in the Musain the next day while Musichetta had them try weird fruit smoothies.

"So, how's Bossuet?" Éponine asked while Cosette ran to spit out the smoothie in the nearest potted plant.

"He's fine. I told him not to walk around too much and to leave the cooking to me and Joly. We should just buy him a hazmat suit if he keeps this up," Musichetta said with a smile warmer than the Tahitian sun.

Cosette came back to her seat as Musichetta poured them her new mango and spinach mixture. The former almost turned green at the sight of the muddy brown concoction which sent Éponine into a laughing fit.

"Come on! You've ran from the police slower than you've turned green," Éponine jested.

"I can't," Cosette frowned. "It looks so gross,"

"You cleaned up those big ass cuts Marius got when he fell on the reef and you're telling me that a smoothie looks gross,"

"It looks like dirt in a cup! No offense Chetta,"

"Non taken," she dismissed, clearly enjoying Cosette's squeamishness.

"If you're not gonna drink it, I will," Éponine announced before downing the cup.

Cosette scrunched her nose. "You're disgusting,"

Just then, the Center, the Chief, and the Guide walked in while Éponine laughed.

"Whoa, what's up with Ponine?" Courf asked.

"Cosette won't drink my new smoothies," Musichetta explained.

"What's in them?" Combeferre inquired as he examined the cup.

"Mango and spinach,"

"Ugh," they all replied, save Éponine who was still trying to stop from laughing at the look on Cosette's face.

When she finally recovered, she turned to Enjolras and asked, "Did you get my note?"

"Yes. Combeferre and I found it very amusing,"

"Having you also been practicing holding your breath?"

"Yes, I did," he replied. "I had a lot of time waiting in urgent care for Bossuet,"

"Please don't tell me you passed out in the hospital,"

Enjolras smiled a little. "No, I was fine,"

"Good. We can go back to stretching your lungs,"

"Actually, I was just wondering when we would start surfing. We've only got two months and, like you said, my competitors have got years on me and I still need to learn the basics as well as some solid tricks,"

"When you can hold your breath for over four minutes then we can start surfing,"

"Fine," Enjolras said before sucking in his breath.

"Wait what are you doing?"

Enjolras still held his breath.

"I don't know if you're trying to prove that you can hold your breath or if you're throwing a childish tantrum by holding your breath until I say you can start surfing,"

Enjolras held up his index finger.

"Okay, one. I'm guessing that means the first option,"

The golden man nodded.

"Then you've got another 3 and a half minutes till I you've proven yourself," Éponine informed. Everyone silently waited.

There were only forty five seconds left when Enjolras started shaking and biting his lip. Thirty seconds left when he passed out. Éponine stooped down and woke him up.

"Come on. We're going to go stretch your lungs," Éponine smirked as she helped him up. And soon, Enjolras was back to holding a board over his head.

* * *

They sat on the sandy beach as they took a break from underwater rock running. The pair looked out to the ocean, trying to regain their breath.

"Éponine," Enjolras started. "I hope you don't mind me asking but why don't you surf anymore?"

"I don't like talking about it," Éponine mumbled.

"But don't you want to surf again?"

"I said I don't like talking about it!" this time she replied a lot louder.

"Sorry," Enjolras muttered. "I'll stop asking you,"

Éponine sighed. "It's okay,"

The two sat in silence. He was right, she did want to surf, but she just didn't know where to start.

"We should probably just go back to training," Éponine finally said.

And so Enjolras continued to follow her underwater. They circled around a giant rock for awhile. Enjolras would rather drown than come up for air before Éponine. She felt the same way. She stopped circling the rock and ran deeper underwater backwards. Her trainee followed, keeping his eyes on hers. Éponine grinned when Enjolras finally swam up for air and came up shortly after.

"How long was that?" the golden man gasped.

Éponine checked her watch. "4 minutes and 16 seconds,"

"Does that mean I can start surfing?"

"Yeah. You can start tomorrow,"

The two raced to shore and dried off. They said their goodbyes and Enjolras headed home while Éponine went to work.

She texted Chetta and Cosette, telling them to eat dinner at her work because she was terribly bored and wanted to change things up a bit. They replied saying that the rest of the Amis were coming too. It was a bad habit but they all enjoyed going to her work to make fun of tourists. Either way, she was sure that the night wouldn't be a bore.

Éponine walked in the back of the restaurant and headed to the dressing rooms to change into her uniform. When she entered, two of the dancers were getting ready for the 6 pm show with nervous expressions.

"Éponine!" one of the girls exclaimed. "We need you to dance tonight,"

"Why me?"

"Three other dancers got food poisoning last night and can't make it,"

"Don't you usually have back ups?"

"One of the three was our only available back up. You're the only other waitress who knows all the routines,"

"Can't you just shift the lines?"

"There aren't enough of us to fill the entire stage. Wear Moana's costumes, you'll fit them,"

Éponine couldn't argue with them, they were higher up on the pecking order so to speak. So she bit her lip and shakily put on her first costume. For someone who hadn't done tahitian dance for over three years, she was pretty decent. And she had nothing to be shy about physically. The thing that was worrying her was that she invited Les Amis, tonight of all nights. She thought of telling them not to come but they texted her to let her know that they were already sitting in the city traffic and would be there in 15 minutes. It was too late now.

Les Amis asked to be seated in the middle of the restaurant, not directly in front of the stage but with a semi-decent few. They knew that the middle was Éponine's section, so they were surprised when a different waitress came out to take their order.

"Excuse me, but is Éponine Thénardier here?" Courfeyrac asked.

"She's one of the dancers tonight," the waitress replied.

"Okay thanks,"

After she left, everyone bursted out in laughter.

"Shit, is Éponine doing this on purpose or what?" Bahorel boomed with laughter.

Enjolras sat there awkwardly. "Why is this amusing to you all?"

Everyone started laughing harder.

"If it's not a family or friend get together, Ponine hates dancing," Cosette explained.

"Really?"

"Well, she really loves dancing. She just doesn't want to be objectified by tourists. Which is ironic because she works in a place where a majority of the clientele are tourists,"

Enjolras nodded. He understood that it was hard getting a job that didn't have to do with tourism.

The drummers began to play and the dancer walked onto the stage in long raffia skirts and shell bras. Éponine stood in the middle with a bright smile. She began to dance and Les Amis started cheering much louder than everyone else in the room, save Enjolras who merely applauded.

The show came to a point where the dancers pulled people up from the audience and taught them to dance, but since they were down two people, they decided to do it slightly differently. The two other dancers would bring up one guy and one girl each while Éponine would do a solo dance with a man of her choice.

She immediately headed to the Amis' table. They all refused and pointed to Enjolras, since it was his first time to her work and everyone else had already done audience participation once or twice. Courfeyrac and Bahorel helped Éponine get him out of his chair.

They stood towards the back of the stage while they waited for Éponine's solo.

"Sorry for bringing you up here. Les Amis insisted," Éponine whispered, still keeping her bright smile.

"It's fine," Enjolras murmured.

"I'm actually kind of glad that you're dancing with me,"

"Really?" Enjolras fought the urge to blush.

"Yeah, some tourists tend to oversexualize the culture and it gets weird sometimes,"

"Oh, right,"

It was time for their solo and Éponine took Enjolras' hands and told him to follow her movements. She moved her hips in a slow circle and he tried following. She was fluid and graceful. He was choppy and awkward, but that made her smile even more. The drumbeats started speeding up and soon she was dancing circles around him, literally.

The show ended after the solos and Éponine was back to waitressing.

"Damn, Ponine," Courfeyrac whistled. "I didn't know you could dance like that,"

"Shut up," she laughed. "But can we talk about Enjolras for a moment,"

"Who knew marble could move!" Combeferre laughed.

"I'm impressed. And maybe tomorrow, you'll surf as good as you dance," she smiled before putting Courfeyrac's beer on her tray. "And don't drink too much, I need you to help me teach Enjolras tomorrow morning,"

"Wait, at least let me finish it," he called after her as she walked towards the kitchen.

"You're going to teach me how to surf?" Enjolras inquired.

"I guess so. Hopefully I won't be so shitty this time," Courf laughed.

Éponine returned an the rest of the night was filled with joking. Even Enjolras was redden with laughter, which was rare to see, so Éponine would be sure to savor every moment of it.

**A/N: sorry if this chapter was all over the place x] I just wanted to post something soon because I've been so busy with school.**


	5. Chapter 5

"Ia orana 'oura,* boys," Éponine smiled as Enjolras and Courfeyrac made their way over to her. She had an extra shortboard and a waterproof video camera set up.

"So what are we doing today?" Enjolras asked.

"Why don't you try catching a few waves and show me what you got,"

She handed over her extra shortboard and she and Courfeyrac watched as Enjolras paddled out. Just like his first time trying to surf with Courfeyrac, the golden man kept wiping out.

"You do know he still doesn't have a clue what he's doing," Courf said, still keeping his gaze on Enjolras.

"I know," Éponine smirked as she set up her camera. "I want to see how long he'll keep trying,"

And Enjolras proved to be very persistent despite his inability to catch a wave. He tried for almost 45 minutes before Éponine stopped recording and called him back. He waited for instructions from Éponine that never came and instead, they watched as Courfeyrac paddled out into prime wave zone. If one had to pick the best shortboarder of the Amis, Courfeyrac would edge out everyone else slightly, due to his stamina and impeccable timing.

Enjolras watched as his friend effortlessly caught waves within the first five minutes of being out there. He started doing snap backs, airs, and even managed to ride a few tubes. Éponine smiled as she watched through the video camera. She had taught a few of those tricks to Courfeyrac towards the beginning of their friendship. But even after knowing her for almost two and a half years, he was still having difficulties with her famous backflip. He fell into the water and tumbled around for a few seconds before popping back up. Éponine signaled for him to come back.

"First, we're going to look at your video, Enjolras," Éponine explained before playing it back in slow motion. "See here, you're popping off your board a hair too late which is why you keep missing the waves and toppling backwards. And if you do catch a wave, your feet are too close together and too close to the nose which is why you fall forward. Keep your weight evenly distributed and your knees bent. Just like standing on the exercise ball,"

Enjolras nodded as he looked down at his current stance. She was right. He was so used to standing at attention during his work in the past couple of years that he forgot how to relax.

"Look at Courf," Éponine pointed at the next video. "He's bent down pretty low so he can get passed the white water to snap back. But notice how he isn't racing to the end of the wave. Judges also look for people who are in tune with the waves. So keep that in mind and just ride out the wave,"

Enjolras observed Courfeyrac's surfing stance. He had his right foot slightly back towards the tail and his weight shifted a little forward. The video ended with Courf wiping out trying to land a backflip.

"Ugh!" Courf groaned. "You gotta teach me how to land it Ép! I could become a pro with that trick,"

"Another time. Right now, Enj is my main priority,"

The golden young man felt a tinge of pink creep onto his face as Courfeyrac's eyes grew wide.

"What?" Éponine inquired.

"I think you're the first person who Enjolras hasn't reprimanded for calling him 'Enj,'"

"You don't like that nickname, Blondie?"

"I don't really like shortening my last name," Enjolras explained. "I think it's, for lack of a better word, demeaning,"

"I think Courf, Ferre, and R agree with that very much," Éponine jested. Enjolras couldn't help but smile a little as she and Courfeyrac laughed.

The two boys continued to surf while Éponine shouted pointers while she waded in the shallower parts of the bay. Enjolras was getting a hang of the basics and was setting up to do a snap back. He had seen his friends do it often and thought it would be an easy trick. He was wrong. He suddenly felt like he was in a washing machine before finally being able to come up for air. He felt like his wipe out wasn't too bad until he realized physicality of what had happened. Enjolras returned to Éponine with her board broken in two.

"I'm really sorry, Ponine," he said handing over the board.

She stood there with a puzzled expression. "This stick as ridden nine feet waves and somehow manages to break on two,"

"Are you angry?"

"More baffled, actually,"

"Is there any way to fix it?"

Éponine turned to the ocean and shouted, "Courf! We're going to Teahupo'o! Wanna come?"

"Can't!" he shouted back. "I've got work in an hour!"

She booed him before she walked to her jeep. "You can just put the broken parts in the back,"

Enjolras stood next to Éponine's car awkwardly as she stared at him from the drivers seat.

"Are you getting in?" she asked with the raise of an eyebrow.

"Oh," Enjolras blushed a bit at his falter. "Where are we going?"

"Didn't you hear? Teahupo'o," she explained as she started the car.

"I know, but where in Teahupo'o?"

"My uncle's surf shop. Actually, I think my cousin Tahitoa owns it now. Uncle Temaru's getting old,"

"Based off of what Ferre has said, I thought you weren't close to your family,"

"I'm not close to my parents. But I'm very close to my moms side of the family. They sort of understand the situation we're in and they're very caring. I used to take my siblings to my Uncle Temaru's home when things got bad at our house. They're like the parents we wish we had,"

Enjolras nodded.

"What about you? What's your family like?"

"Um, well, it's just my mom, Vaitea and I. That's about it,"

"Come on," Éponine pleaded with a smile. "We're going to be trapped in this car together for the next thirty minutes,"

"I thought the drive would be at least 45 minutes,"

"I never said I was good at following the speed limit. But we might as well get to know each other,"

"You're getting very personal very quickly,"

"Well, we have seen each other for almost everyday for 2 month,"

"Yeah, but we usually talk about surfing tactics. I don't really know the basics about you,"

"Ok, let's try this again. My name is Éponine Manuhere Thénardier. I was born in Teahupo'o on July 23, 1993. I am 3/4 Tahitian and 1/4 French. My favorite place in the world is Avae Bay and I love hanging out with Les Amis. I like the color purple and a secret about me is I took dance lessons when I was younger but everyone found out about that last night. I really like the new Kolohe Kai album, even though I don't really listen to Jawaiian music. I also hate assholes who try snaking waves," she said in a tone that would probably match that of a Barbie doll. "Your turn,"

"Wait, your middle name is Manuhere?" Enjolras asked, a smile creeping onto his face.

"I said it was your turn," Éponine protested.

"Okay, my name is Iven Vaitahi Enjolras-"

"Vaitahi?"

"Yeah,"

Éponine chuckled. "How coincidental*,"

"As I was saying," he continued. "I was born in Bora Bora on December 21, 1990. I'm 1/8 tahitian and my favorite place is the Cafe Musain. My favorite color is red and a secret about me is I finally got my drivers license last year when I was in Bora Bora. I didn't get one when I was a teen because I would just walk everywhere and in college one of the guys would always drive, so I didn't really need it until recently. I listen to alternative most of the time but I've got a soft spot for rap and 80's rock bands. I also hate it when people litter,"

There was a smile on Éponine's face. "I never thought you'd be the rap kind of guy,"

"I like the creative flow to it all. But I'm not particularly fond of the kind that call women, and mind my language, 'bitches' and 'hoes'. I prefer the ones that talk about the truth of oppressive society and things like that,"

"See, now we practically know everything about each other,"

Enjolras let out a soft laugh. "I'm not too sure about that,"

"Sure we do. I know that when you're lost in thought, you rub your thumb and index finger together in circles. You do it all the time at your meetings at the Musain. And Musichetta always makes you coconut smoothies. She used to just make one for me but when you got here, she started making two. It's not that hard to use common sense to figure that out,"

"Wow, that's really observant. Should I be worried that you're watching me so closely?"

Éponine barked out a laugh. "I'm not doing it on purpose. I just notice things. Like how Bahorel always cracks his knuckles against the edge of the tables, or how Cosette always uses something random to keep her hair up like a pencil or her own hair,"

"I've never really noticed that before. It's kind of interesting how observant you are,"

"Thanks. When I was little, my dad would always tell us to watch peoples habits, like what pocket they would stick their wallets in or which side they would keep their purse on. These were just little tricks a con artist passes down to his children. Zelma and I out grew most of them but I still notice the little things,"

Enjolras sat silently.

"Are you kind of freaked out that my dad's a con artist?" a strange smile of disappointment forming. Of course Blondie wouldn't be able to handle her situation. She presumed that this pretty boy had a cushy lifestyle and anything less than that would be uncomfortable for him. But she was more disappointed in herself for expecting a different reaction.

"It's fine actually. I know that not everyone grew up with a well-rounded dad,"

"Good answer," Éponine nearly whispered.

Their deep heart-to-heart ended when Éponine told Enjolras to plug his phone in and play some of his rap music. The duo attempted to rap for the rest of the car ride. As they pulled up to the surf shop, they promised that whatever happened during those last, rhythm-filled 15 minutes in Éponine's jeep would stay in Éponine's jeep.

It was a small surf shop connected to a small, old house with a large shed on the side. A bell rung as the two walked inside.

"Ia Orana!" Éponine yelled as she walked in. "Teihea 'outou i*?"

"Manuhere!" a voice called from the back of the shop. "Is that you?"

The body of that voice came to greet Éponine, but stopped behind the counter when she saw Enjolras.

"Vai ōna? Tane fa'aipoipo?*"

"No!" Éponine protested. "Auntie Hina, this is Enjolras. He's just a friend. Enjolras, this is my Auntie Hina,"

"Nice to meet you," Auntie Hina smiled. "What brings you down here?"

"I broke the Flexfire Stick," Éponine frowned as she held up her broken board.

"Oh dear. Well your uncle is resting. Tahitoa can fix it for you. Lemme go get him,"

Auntie Hina left to the back of the shop while Éponine took Enjolras to the shed where most of the board work was done. After a few minutes, Tahitoa came in. He looked more like he could be Éponine's brother instead of cousin. They had the same eyes and nose and the same thick dark waves. But he was much larger than both Éponine and Enjolras with a very big build.

"Hey Manuhere. Looks like the queen as returned back to her kingdom. Tane fa'aipoipo?" Tahitoa asked eyeing Enjolras.

"No! You're just as bad as your mother!" Éponine was glad her tan complexion made it hard to notice her blush.

Her cousin laughed. "Well you can at least tell me your fiancé's name,"

"Not my fiancé,"

"Boyfriend?"

"Can you just fix the Flexfire Stick?"

"So I'm guessing boyfriend,"

"He's my surf student,"

"You're surfing again?"

"No, I'm helping from the land,"

"That'll only help him partially," her cousin looked over at Enjolras. "I'm Tahitoa, by the way,"

"Enjolras," he said, extending out his hand.

"So are you just looking to surf just for fun?"

"I longboard for fun but an organization that has been helping maintain marine life is on the verge of being shut down, so I'm entering the upcoming surf competition here in 2 months to help the organization financially,"

"Well, I'm sure you would win if Manuhere started _surfing_ _again_,"

Éponine laughed. "Hey, maybe I can start surfing when my _board is fixed_,"

Tahitoa got out some tools, like a sander and surfboard laminate, which seemed practical. But then he pulled out some chopsticks and two 20 pound weights which left Enjolras baffled.

"What are you going to with those chopsticks?" he asked.

"I'm going to stick them into the broken end of the surf board and then I'm going to put the other end of the board onto it. I can teach you so Manuhere won't have to keep driving back and forth to get her board fixed,"

Éponine looked like she was about to punch him. "I know how to fix a board! And I drive back here to see how you and your family are doing,"

"Speaking of family, my dad should be awake now. He's probably gardening in the backyard,"

"Oh!" Éponine's dark eyes growing a little brighter. "You can keep teaching Enjolras. I'll go say hi,"

She raced off the same way a child would, knowing her father had come back from a long day's work. She found her uncle tending to his flowers. It had been a while since she had last seen him and it broke her heart to see how old and frail he was becoming.

"Ia Orana," Éponine greeted, walking over to the soil where his garden was.

"Manuhere!" Uncle Temaru exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I broke the Flexfire Stick. Tahitoa is fixing it for me,"

"You're surfing again?"

"No, I'm helping a friend of mine for a surf competition. He was borrowing my board,"

"No wonder it broke. Unless he's your height and weight, that board won't work well for him,"

"That's also why I brought him. I wanted to shape a board for him,"

"Really? Is he going to be your tane fa'aipoipo?"

Éponine laughed. "All of you are trying to marry me off!"

"I would like to see you and Azelma get married before I die,"

"Then you better live long," she smiled.

"Come, let's go inside. I'm pretty sure, your Auntie Hina will be cooking a feast for you before you leave," Uncle Temaru place his hand on Éponine's shoulder as they slowly walked back into their house.

The sun was beginning to set when Auntie Hina called them into the kitchen for dinner (Éponine made sure that there was no sea food this time). Tahitoa only needed to sand Éponine's surfboard and she had secretly started on shaping a board for Enjolras. Everything was going fine. They said grace and began eating Auntie Hina's famous pork roast.

"So," Auntie Hina said. "What surf competition are you competing in, Enjolras,"

"The one down here in the beginning January,"

"Oh! Are you competing too, Manuhere? Both of you could stay with us for the holidays before the competition,"

"Sorry Auntie, I'm not competing,"

"Why? You'd get first place in a heartbeat,"

Tahitoa gently nudged his mom and gave her a look.

"Is it about Monty?" Auntie Hina asked.

Éponine nodded softly.

"Oh sweetheart," the older woman whispered before reaching across the table and taking her hand. If there wasn't a table, Éponine was sure she would be tightly embraced by her aunt.

"How are they doing?" Éponine asked.

"Monty is still on life support and his family is still doing well despite medical bills,"

The table was silent. Enjolras wanted to know what happened to Éponine and whoever Monty is, but he knew it wasn't the time to ask. It wasn't until Uncle Temaru broke the silence by asking about more about Enjolras and where he was from. It was pretty much the same conversation he had with Éponine but much more formal.

"Do you have a Tahitian name?" Uncle Temaru asked. "If you haven't already noticed, we use Tahitian names in this house,"

"My middle name is Vaitahi,"

Tahitoa looked at Éponine. "Are you sure he isn't your tane fa'aipoipo?"

"Our middle names are only coincidental," she explained.

"I'm willing to bet that in a few years, you two will be married,"

This time, Éponine did punch him.

By the time they finished eating dinner and talking story while Tahitoa finished sanding the board, it was nearly 9:45 pm. Tahitoa walked the pair to Éponine's jeep to see them off. However, the jeep wouldn't start.

"Damn it," she mumbled as she tried starting it over and over. She stuck her head out the window and looked to Tahitoa with a frustration. "Do you have an extra car battery?"

"This is a _surfboard_ repair shop. Not a car repair shop,"

Éponine texted Cosette before she turned to Enjolras. "Cosette just told me that everyone's made plans. Somehow, we've managed to get stuck on the wrong side of Tahiti on the wrong night,"

Enjolras smiled. "Just our luck, right,"

Éponine laughed. "We better go back inside and figure something out,"

She explained about her jeep to which Uncle Temaru suggested, "Stay the night in the guest room. The nearest car shop is closed by now,"

"I mean, if that's okay with you, Enjolras,"

"It's fine," he replied quietly.

"I'll sleep on the couch. You can take the guest room,"

"It's okay, you can take the guest room,"

"You're a guest in this house, therefore you should take the guest room,"

"They even bicker like a married couple," Uncle Temaru interrupted with a smile. "There's also a pull out bed in the guest room. You would know this, Manuhere, if you visited more often,"

"Oh right," she felt foolish for arguing in front of her family.

"Unless you two find something else to argue about, we'll be going to bed now,"

"Taoto maitai*," Éponine said as they all went to there rooms. It would be an interesting night for both Enjolras and Éponine.

**A/N: sorry i haven't updated in awhile. I've just been really busy with school and finals. But now that I'm on summer vacation, I'll hopefully be updating more. :]**

***ia orana 'oura(yoh-rah-nah oh-oo-rah): tahitian for "good morning" towards two people.**

***there's a legend about a bird named Manuhere and a boy named Vaitahi who become inseparable. Manuhere becomes ill and falls into a coma. So Vaitahi and the rest of the villagers try to heal the bird but they cannot and begin to grieve. But the love from everyone around penetrates Manuhere's heart and wakes the beautiful bird up. **

***teihea 'outou i(teh-ee-heh-ah oh-toh ee): where are you all at?**

***Vai ōna(vah-ee oh-nah)? Tane fa'aipoipo(tah-neh fah-ah-ee-poh-ee-poh)?: who's he? Husband?**

***taoto maitai(tah-oh-toh mah-ee-tah-ee): good night**


	6. Chapter 6

Sharing a room was difficult. First of all, Éponine liked having the door shut when she slept because it made her feel safe from whatever would try to come in. Enjolras, however, felt like he was trapped within the small four walls of the guest bedroom. When he thought Éponine was asleep, he would open the door only to be told by her to "shut the damn door."

Secondly, Enjolras was a snorer. It wasn't often that he got a good night's rest, but when he did, he was out like a light. Éponine, however, would wake at the sound of a pin drop. So you could imagine her urge to stand over his pull-out mattress and push a pillow over his face.

And thirdly, neither of them could sleep fully clothed. Enjolras had borrowed a pair of sweatpants from Tahitioa and Éponine borrowed a plain white t-shirt from Auntie Hina. That would be all they wore to sleep. Éponine was flustered at the sight of Enjolras' tone and topless body. His well sculpted abs made her wonder if there was another meaning behind his nickname. Enjolras, in turn, was utterly distracted by Éponine's long, long legs. He never really looked at her body in that way, but being in such close quarters made her legs stand out much much more. But somehow, they made it through the night without killing each other or fucking each other's brains out (Éponine wasn't sure if she was happy about the latter because hot damn, his body was gorgeous). Although, surviving the next day would be more of a challenge.

* * *

Enjolras woke up around 9 am to find Éponine already out of bed. He assumed she was already eating breakfast but couldn't find her anywhere in the dining room or kitchen. There was a loud, high pitched buzz coming from the shed. He found her sanding a surfboard much too large to be her own.

"Good morning," Enjolras said.

Éponine jumped. "God, I didn't know you were standing there,"

"Sorry. I just came to see what you were doing,"

"Well, I helped Tahitoa fix the car battery before he left to catch some waves and now I'm almost finished with this project so I might as well tell you now. I shaped a board for you. I thought that you should have a board made to your size instead of using one that belongs to someone half a foot shorter than you,"

Enjolras smiled. "Thanks Ponine. I don't know what to say,"

"Well that's a first. And it was no problem. Just promise you'll be safe when you compete out there,"

He studied her. It was normally hard to read Éponine's emotions but Enjolras couldn't help but notice the partial sadness and worry in her eyes. He wondered if it had anything to do with her surfing accident.

So after lunch, when they left the house, Enjolras decided to ask.

Éponine merely sighed. She started the car but didn't get on the freeway. Instead, she continued into town and stopped in a small neighborhood. Enjolras followed Éponine to the front door. An older woman with tired eyes opened the door and smiled.

"Éponine!" she greeted. "I was hoping you would come when your Auntie Hina told me you were in town. Please, come inside,"

"Thank you for inviting us, Ms. Élisabeth. This is my friend, Enjolras," Éponine replied, her tone soft and gentle.

"Nice to meet you," Élisabeth acknowledged. Enjolras observed her gentle nature and how Éponine mimicked.

"How is Monty?" Éponine asked.

"Doing fine. We have a live in nurse who helps him a lot. He regained his speech around the beginning of the year. He asks to see you often,"

"He does?"

"Yes. He might be sleeping still but you can go in to see him if you want,"

The three walked into the small bedroom. Inside was a pale young man, his eyelashes fanning towards his sharp cheek bones, his raven hair scattered about. Éponine walked towards the chair at his bedside and sat down. She wrapped her small rough hands around his slender delicate one. It pained her to know that he couldn't feel her touch. She gently brushed back his bangs to observe his exquisite features. He must have heard them enter because the young man began to stir.

"Ponine?" Monty asked, his voice coarse from sleep.

"Hey Monty," she said, still quiet. "How've you been?"

"Good, good. Still holding up. How about you? I haven't seen you for awhile,"

"I'm alright. This is Enjolras, by the way. I took him to the shop to get him a board. I'm helping him for a competition,"

"Nice to meet you,"

"Likewise," a Enjolras smiled.

"Does that mean you're surfing again? Are you doing the competition down here?" Enjolras could see a bit of hope in Monty's eyes

"No. I can't. I mean, mentally, no,"

Monty looked at her. His eyes pitying her, and her's him.

"It's a shame," he sighed. "I was really hoping you were back out there,"

"Really?"

"Yeah, Ép. You were almost a pro surfer, I don't want to see you stop now,"

Éponine sat for awhile wishing that she could redo that day differently.

* * *

Enjolras sat in the drivers seat this time. The young girl felt too drained. They drove in silence until he finally mustered up the courage to ask.

"What happened on the day of the accident?" he inquired softly.

She merely looked out the window.

"Ponine?"

The car remained silent until Éponine let out a shaky breath. "May 31, 2013,"

He glanced at her quickly. Her head pointed down, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

"We wanted to go surfing, just us two. We love Azelma and Gavroche but it's just hard to get far out and still keep an eye on them. It was almost empty that day. The swells were too large to paddle out to and Uncle Temaru would only tow in the best of the best. But since we were on our way to becoming pros, he let us go anyways. I was so pumped up on adrenaline 2 or 3 waves in and I didn't realize that Monty was already going for the same wave I was going for. I knocked into him and suddenly we were tumbling under a set of massive waves. That's 2 thousand tons of water coming down on you per wave and in Teahupo'o, the water is shallow and the reef is sharp. A piece went straight through my hand and another cut up my side,"

Enjolras looked down at her left hand. A scar the about the size of a bullet wound covered the back of her hand and her palm. She rubbed circles around it before continuing.

"If that was all, I would have been surfing weeks after. But when the waves finally calmed and I got to the surface, Monty was unconscious, face down in the water. Uncle Temaru got us back onto the jet ski and headed for shore. When I woke up in the hospital, they told me that Monty broke his neck on the reef and he would be paralyzed from the neck down," Her voice and hands started shaking. "Because of me, because of my stupid jackassness, Monty's life has been screwed up! He can't surf, he can't go for a swim! He can't do a single thing because I'm an ignorant asshole! And you know what scares me the most? If I start surfing, who says I won't fuck up again?!" angry tears began to fall. "And you know what's worse? _They. Don't. Hate. Me_. Monty and his mom always call Auntie Hina and ask if I'll be visiting soon. Usually, when I've wronged someone, they stay away and my guilt with them. But Monty doesn't hate me for ruining his fucking life. Every time they ask me to visit, all the guilt floods back again and I can't fucking take it!"

Enjolras pulled over. As a fearless leader rallying the people, finding the words to say came naturally. But here in front of a girl whom he was concerned for, hell, cared for, all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and let her know he was there for her. So, he did.

At first, Éponine was shocked. She wasn't too sure why he was doing this. Maybe because he saw her almost everyday for two months. Maybe because he knew her now. Maybe because he was the first person she opened up to in awhile. Because maybe, she was beginning to trust him.

"It's gonna be okay, Ép," she felt his deep voice vibrate in his throat and against her shoulder. "I know life can be shitty, but you don't have to walk it alone. It's okay to ask for help. And not just from me but from all of our friends. You have so many people who care about you,"

"But how do I tell them? How do I say that I ruined my childhood best friends life?"

"I think the best thing," he said placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Would be to just come out and say it. I know the Amis, they won't think you're a monster, they won't think you're a terrible person and they won't think of you as a fragile thing that is completely incapable of owning the waves. They'll definitely want you to come to terms with what you're feeling and they'll want to be there for you every step of the way,"

She smiled that soft smile that sent butterflies into his stomach.

Time seemed to stop. Enjolras didn't know why or how, but everything just stopped. He suddenly became aware of the close proximity of the two of them, his hand on her shoulder, their bodies still leaning towards each other after dispersing from their hug. However, Enjolras didn't mind. In fact, there was a strange urge to get even closer to her.

Éponine cleared her throat. "I said 'thanks, Blondie,"

"Oh, right,"

She let out a small laugh. "Let's get home,"

* * *

Les Amis sat around their usual table while Éponine repeated her story, giving looks of shock as well as empathy.

"And that's why I can't surf anymore. Just the thought of someone getting hurt like that, it doesn't seem worth it," Éponine said, ending her tale. She was nervous about what they had to say next.

Instead, everyone embraced her, letting her know that they would be there for her.

"Thanks guys," she whispered before everyone let go. "I want to come to terms with the accident, I'm just not sure how,"

"That's easy. By surfing again," Cosette said.

"Yeah," Enjolras agreed. "It was clear that everyone in Teahupo'o wants you to get back out there. Especially Monty. Surf for the both of you guys at the competition,"

"Hold on, I do want to start surfing again, but I'm not going to drop your training so I've got a shot of making it to finals,"

"Well, you could surf with me. I think it would better my training if I had my teacher by my side. It'd be a lot quicker than going back to shore every few minutes and checking a video camera,"

She shot him a soft smile. "Okay, I'll try,"

There was a loud cheering throughout the cafe.

* * *

The next day was the first day of Éponine's return to surfing. It was clear that she could barely paddle out without becoming overly nervous. She had successfully popped up onto her board but immediately put her knees back down and held onto the railings until she lost her momentum. Fear of causing another accident became overwhelming. Musichetta and Cosette quickly paddled over.

"You okay?" the blonde asked, putting a hand on Éponine's back.

Éponine was trying to calm herself down, but was unsuccessful. The three girls went back to shore and back to the Musain.

Enjolras was there but was too consumed by paperwork to notice. Éponine could only notice his clenched jaw and white knuckles as he poured out passionate words in the form of black ink.

"Hey!" Cosette yelled, waving her hand in front of Éponine's face. "Is anyone in there?"

"Do you want to keep that hand?" Éponine feigned a glare.

Cosette then whispered something to Musichetta who then shouted across the cafe to Enjolras. "Enj, can you leave?"

"I'm sorry?" he inquired, looking up from his paperwork.

"Éponine was having a panic-attack after trying to surf,"

"Are you okay, Ponine," he immediately rushed over to check her well being,"

"I didn't have a panic attack," she reassured him. "They're exaggerating so that you'd leave. But I don't think it's working," his blue eyes were very close to her brown.

"But please leave. We've got urgent female things to discuss," Musichetta informed.

"Like the penis size of our significant other-slash-others," Cosette chimed.

Enjolras went from gold to crimson in a matter of seconds. He quickly gathered his papers and left.

"I don't have a penis to talk about," Éponine deadpanned.

"But I think I know who's penis you want to talk about," the lark smirked. "I see the way you look at Enjolras,"

"What?! No!" Éponine quickly denied.

"Please, do you even remember what Musichetta did as soon as we got here?"

"...no,"

"Because you were getting a load of the Marble Man! I mean, I don't have to spell it out, right?"

"You guys spend almost every single day together," Musichetta smiled. "It was bound to happen sooner or later,"

"By 'it,' I'm going to assume you mean 'pretty-chill-teacher-student-friendship' because that's literally all it is," Éponine hissed.

"I think the lady doth protest too much,"

"I am not protesting too much!"

"So you do like him!" Cosette squealed.

"Ok, well I'm not denying that I think his body is gorgeous. I mean, I would totally sleep shirtless if I had that body,"

"Wait, he sleeps shirtless?" Musichetta asked. "How do you know that?"

"We shared a room in Teahupo'o," Éponine explained.

The other two girls raised their eyebrows.

"He slept on a separate mattress, you pervs. And can we talk about something else, like your relationships?"

Cosette immediately lit up. "Marius and I are looking at engagement rings,"

"What?!" Musichetta and Éponine exclaimed.

"Yeah, I think he might propose within the month,"

The Musain was filled with loud cheering and tight embraces. If you had told Éponine that Marius was going to propose to Cosette when she first met him, she would have set the entire island on fire. But after half a year of meeting her, Éponine saw that there was much more to Cosette than the gentle lark she appeared to be.

The two became friends in a jail cell after a protest gone wrong. It started when they started exchanging tips on running from the cops which they had learned from their fathers. After that night, they vowed to never be caught by cops thanks to the new tricks they once lacked.

Now here they were, celebrating the upcoming engagement as well as the possible fondness Éponine had for Enjolras.

* * *

A/N: sorry this took so long. I thought I would have time over the summer to write but a lot of things came up and I really wanted this chapter to be good. So don't forget to leave a review :]


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm so sorry this chapter is really really short and it took a long time to update Dx and I know I keep promising to update sooner but hopefully this time I will live up to my word. But in a way of asking for forgiveness, I wrote a bit of a fluffy chapter.**

* * *

Breaking. That was all she felt. The heavy waves of Teahupo'o breaking over her and throwing her against the sharp reef. It felt like an eternity before she came up gasping for air. The relief of breathing came to an end when she saw the blond, lifeless body floating face down. And at that moment, she knew that if the ocean didn't drown her, fear would. Panic washed over as well as another breaking wave.

* * *

Éponine woke up in a cold sweat. The gaunt girl, once calmed down, grabbed her phone from the nightstand. Her heavy eyes gazed at the blank ceiling as the monotonous ringing filled her head.

"Hello?" a tired voice asked from the other line.

"Hey Enjolras," Éponine replied, her voice almost a whisper.

"Are you alright? Is anything wrong?"

"No, I'm fine,"

He was hesitant before speaking again. "Well, is there any other reason why you would call at 4:30 in the morning,"

She thought for a moment. I dreamt you were dying so I wanted to hear your voice to make sure you were alright. "Do you want to go get coffee?"

An incredulous laugh escaped his lips. "I'm not sure if there are any coffee shops open nearby. But if you do think of one, I'll go,"

"Then you better get ready Blondie. I'll be over in 10 minutes," Enjolras swore he felt her smirk before she hung up the phone.

He looked through his clothes for something to protect him against the cold night air. Meanwhile, Éponine was already making her way over.

* * *

Éponine parked her jeep outside of Enjolras and Combeferre's house while she waited. The marble man's black beanie was the first thing she noticed when he got in the car.

"You own a beanie?" she inquired as she started driving.

"Yes," he replied.

"But why? It's the beginning of summer,"

"Well, it's early in the morning so it's quite cool outside. Not to mention I get really bad bed head and you only gave me a ten minute heads up,"

Éponine immediately tried to snatch the beanie to catch a glimpse of the blond birds nest that Enjolras claimed was hair. This, of course, caused the car to swerve a little.

"Holy crap Ponine, keep your hands on the wheel!" Enjolras lightly scolded.

She merely laughed.

"So, where are we going at this fine hour?"

"I think you've forgotten that our friends own a cafe. A cafe that you practically live at,"

"But I doubt the Musain is open right now,"

"It's open if you know where Chetta keeps the spare key," Éponine grinned.

* * *

Enjolras sat at the bar of the cafe struggling to stay awake while Éponine shuffled through kitchen supplies trying to find coffee cups. When she finally found them, she looked over at Enjolras to announce her small victory. Instead, she kept quiet and observed the way the marble man's head nodded as he dozed off. She had to admit, it was kind of cute. His usually tense shoulders were relaxed and his tight lips looked soft. Éponine had the sudden curiosity of their taste. She shook off this thought and poured the coffee, but she still found herself gazing. It was a conflicting feeling that was bubbling inside. The urge to crash her lips against his was frustrating. Éponine let out a groan as she buried her face into her hands while her elbows hit the counter.

"You okay?" Enjolras mumbled, awoken by the sudden noise.

Éponine looked up. Across the skinny counter was Enjolras propped up on one elbow in a lazy way. His eyes tired from lack of sleep and his hair sticking up on the left side. She couldn't help but giggle.

"Ponine? What's so funny?"

"You're a mess,"

"The result of exhaustion," he had a lopsided smile plastered on and Éponine was pretty sure she had one too.

They then realized how close they were. If one of them leaned forward even slightly, they would kiss. She would find out what his lips tasted like. And he was okay with letting her. Maybe it was out of sleep deprivation, but for once, they let their guards down. The two slowly grew nearer until their lips met. Éponine cupped Enjolras's face while he ran his hands through her dark locks. Mint and Earl Grey. She noted to herself. There were a few moments of teeth clashing as well as switching back and forth between soft and passionate kisses. It was all over the place and not what one would describe as perfect, but it was like them; a beautiful mess.

It seemed like eternity before they finally dispersed. Éponine's face flushed and Enjolras' lips swollen.

"Um, sorry," Enjolras muttered.

"Oh, no. Don't be sorry. It was, it was good," she sputtered.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You didn't think so?"

"No! No, I thought it was great," he sputtered. "It's just been awhile since I've really kissed anyone like that,"

"So, what now?" a smile still on her face.

Enjolras smiled back. "I'm not too sure just yet,"

"Well what are you thinking right now?"

"I think that I like you,"

Éponine began to blush. She presumed he was used to expressing his opinions to strangers, which is why Enjolras would tell her how he felt about her.

"Actually, I really like you a lot," he continued. "I think that you're bold and daring but kind and understanding. I think that you've got a smile that warms up the soul and a tongue sharp enough to bring even the strongest to their knees. I think that you're like the ocean; you can be thunderous but also calming. I think you've got both solidarity and spontaneity. I think you're the most wise, intrepid, and passionate girl I've ever met and I've spent almost everyday with you since we met and I know that I want to spend everyday with you for as long as you want me around. Ua here vau ia oe,"

Éponine cupped Enjolras's face and brought him in for another kiss as a way of saying she felt the same.

* * *

When Musichetta pulled up to the Musain that morning, she was surprised to hear laughter coming from inside. She quietly walked inside, going unnoticed as she listened to the ongoing conversation.

"Yes! And then I somehow managed to step into a trash bin!" she could hear Éponine's laughter as she finished retelling what Les Amis knew as "The Bumble Bee Fiasco".

Enjolras's laughter also echoed through the cafe. "Who knew you were so clumsy,"

"I wouldn't say I'm clumsy on a regular basis," she protested. "Anyways, my turn. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?"

He pondered his thoughts before replying, "Greece,"

"Really? I thought you'd say France,"

"I do love France. But, if I could go anywhere in the world right now, I'd want to go some place new,"

Éponine nodded.

"Okay then. What's the first thing on you bucket list?"

"To travel," she said definitely. "I want to back pack around Europe,"

"We can start in Greece," he beamed.

Éponine smiled and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I like it when you smile,"

Musichetta set her things down with a loud thud and a smirk on her face. "Seems like a good morning for you two," she chimed.

Blush crept onto Enjolras's chiseled cheek bones. "How long were you standing there?"

"When she finished the Bumble Bee fiasco. How long have you and your girlfriend been in here?

The new couple looked at each other and became a stuttering mess of "am I?" and "are we?"

"You guys have gotten all cozied up but you don't know what your relationship status is?" Musichetta raised an eyebrow.

"Well," Enjolras finally said. "I would like it if you were my girlfriend,"

"And I would like to have you as my boyfriend,"

"Now that that's settled, can someone answer my question," Musichetta interrupted.

"We've been here for the past 4 hours," Enjolras replied.

"And can you also tell me how this all happened? I'm not supposed to say but there's a betting pool right now about who would ask the other first,"

"You guys were betting on us?!" Éponine asked.

"Well I mean, you guys got really close really fast. Sort of inevitable,"

The rest of the morning, while they retold their story a dozen times as Les Amis came trickling in, Éponine and Enjolras couldn't stop holding hands.


	8. Authors Note

A/N: Hi guys! I know I keep saying I'm going to update more often and things like that and I've really been trying to keep on top of writing but a lot of personal things have been taking up my time. I probably won't be able to update for a few months because I'll be going away for awhile (many complicated details that I don't want to get into). But thanks so much to those who have kept reading even though my updates haven't been super consistent. I love you guys and I hope you all have a great day.

-Noelle


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